Roving Flu Clinics

January 15th, 2018

JPS providers are taking flu prevention and treatment to those who need it most, conducting roving flu clinics at homeless shelters, a church and other places convenient for people to access care — like a park in Fort Worth this Saturday.

The first is tomorrow (Tuesday) at JPS Medical Home at True Worth Place, a full-service medical home clinic and home base for the JPS Care Connections team for the homeless. Flu shots and treatment for flu symptoms will be provided on a walk-in basis from 1-3 p.m. The clinic is at 1513 E. Presidio St.

On Saturday, the roving flu clinic moves to Unity Park, where open-air care will be provided from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

In between, the team moves among shelters and a church that provides weekly meals, working to contain the spread of flu among some of the community’s most vulnerable. The homeless are more susceptible to flu’s complications due to existing health problems and the harsh, often crowded conditions in which many live.

On Monday, JPS initiated a designated flu clinic at John Peter Smith Hospital for people who come to the hospital with flu but don’t need the level of care provided in the E.R. or Urgent Care. The clinic will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, as long as the extra capacity is needed.

Flu cases diagnosed at the hospital in January rose to 341 on Monday, approaching December’s surge of 408, which was up from 73 in November.